Alnwick, Camera Club

Alnwick and District Camera Club enjoyed a fine display of photography when it was visited by members of Wickham Photographic Club. The evening was ably compared by Wickham’s Alan Wilson.

First to show his work was Alan Fowler, with an impressive selection of prints. Alan is a master of digital manipulation, adding or changing figures, replacing skies or placing objects in different backgrounds. Many of his techniques required a great deal of work and thought. It is certainly the case that things aren’t always what they seem.

Next came Alan Wilson with a superb collection of wildlife pictures, mostly taken in Africa. These included a wonderful image of a leopard with its prey and action shots of wildebeest crossing a river. His colourful pictures of birds were equally fine, including those photographed in his garden, proving that it is not necessary to travel to achieve rewarding results.

Kath Dodds is a relatively new member of Wickham, but her selection of projected images demonstrated the benefits of club membership. These included flower close-ups, garden birds and excellent pictures of the Tyne bridges. She has made good use of her tripod to achieve fine pictures of sunsets and moving water.

Peter Strassheim entertained us with pictures taken at a Whitby Goth weekend. He made the point that while it is easy to find willing subjects, it is often difficult to succeed in competitions unless you can find something new to say. Many of his pictures demonstrated a sense of humour, but his most impressive were those rendered in monochrome.

Last, but by no means least, was Paul Hattam with an excellent selection of his favourite images. His work demonstrated a fine mastery of the use of light. He showed outstanding landscapes and a number of his pictures effectively employed a selective soft focus effect, achieved by minimal digital manipulation.

An enjoyable evening was completed by an extensive gallery of Alan Fowler’s intriguing prints.